


Family Bonds

by magicianparrish



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Family Feels, Light Angst, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Movie, Talking about family, sorry Joe/Nicky is very background and not explicit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:33:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26608312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianparrish/pseuds/magicianparrish
Summary: Nile looked up at him, her eyes glistening.“Did you have a family?” she wondered.Joe pursed his lips, looking right into Nile’s eyes. He gave her a small smile and a small pat. “Of course. Like every human who ever walked the earth, I had a family. Though I was lucky they loved me as much as yours did.”_________________________________________________________________________________________________Nile and Joe have a heart to heart about families.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova, Nile Freeman & Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani
Comments: 3
Kudos: 139





	Family Bonds

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, welcome back to another fic of these immortals who I love. I don't know where the idea came from, but here it is. 
> 
> (Sorry in advance, no explicit Joe/Nicky in this, but fret not Joe still internal monologues about how much he loves Nicky.) 
> 
> You may also see that I love writing the dynamic of Joe and Nile, and when I can I add Nicky into it. There's so much potential with them, and I wanted to explore the idea of the families they left behind when they became immortal. So all the family members are made up by yours truly. 
> 
> Enjoy! (Not edited or beta'd so all mistakes are mine)

They were in a cabin in Patagonia. The nearest place of civilization was R í o Grande, a new up and coming city in Argentina that had not been there the last time they had used this safe house. It was colder than Joe’s preferred tastes, but they were still trying to lay low after a mission. Andy had figured it would be best to get out of Eurasia all together and head across the ocean away from all the pain and heartbreak. Though Joe would much rather be living it up in a nice villa in Malta with Nicky (like they had promised each other), letting the beautiful temperate Mediterranian weather wash over him, he wouldn't deny that Patagonia was also one of the most wondrous places on earth. 

The team had been slowly integrating Nile into their lifestyle. It was a slow process, but they had all the time in the world. Nile was a curious woman, always wanting to know more; learn more. She was so young though. She had died at twenty-five. Twenty-five years old, and now had an infinite lifetime ahead of her. Enough time for her to learn all the languages she desired, how to fight with any weapon she could get her hands on. Andy had taken her under her wing. The new protege, the heir apparent for when Andy’s time finally came. Nile had protested at first when she had figured out her initial place on the team. The newbie couldn’t possibly be a better leader for them, going against the rest who had been alive for hundreds of years. But Booker had been exiled for a century for his betrayal, and it would possibly take centuries more before they could fully accept him back as their brother. And Nicky and Joe were more than happy to follow. Be the right hands to whoever would lead them into battle victorious. Nile had the spark. She had the brains and charisma and the humbleness to lead them, and know that their trust in her leadership was precious. She understood the gravity of the position and would not take it lightly. Though it had only been just shy of a year since Joe had met her, he would put his life in her hands time and time again. 

Joe had come out of his and Nicky’s room. It had been his turn to train Nile that day, and they had practiced some basic moves on how to fight with a scimitar. He had even let her swing it around after their season had ended. He laughed at how her eyes had brightened when she gripped the leatherbound hilt of it and swung it around. Though he had warned not to accidentally cut her head off because he did not want the job of holding it back on her neck while it stitched and fixed itself back. It had not been a pleasant experience from what he recalled during the French Revolution. As she swung the scimitar around she made whooshing and humming noises and quoted things that Joe was not familiar with. It was highly amusing how happy she was to play with an actual sword. He enjoyed the enthusiasm she had for learning things; when fighting had been so familiar to him for so long, he forgot what it was like to experience the rush of learning something new. Having a fresh face was like a breath of crisp air after leaving a smog infested city. 

He was drying his curls with a towel, as he had just stepped out of the shower. He had on sweatpants and had stolen one of Nicky’s many black hoodies. The shoulders were just a little big, and the sleeves a little long, but he didn’t care. Nothing was more comfortable than Nicky’s clothes. He enjoyed the lingering scent of his love on the clothes. Nicky and Andy had left to go into the city to get supplies, leaving the two of them alone. 

As he walked into the kitchen he saw Nile sitting at the small table where they all shared meals together. Just as it had been the first time in France. The cabin hadn’t changed all that much since they had built it in the late nineteenth century. It had an icebox that they had used to store all their perishables. Electricity had started to become fashionable at the time, but they were in a remote part of nowhere, and still relied on kerosene lanterns to light their way around the cabin. It was a nice reprieve from the chaos of the modern world. A way to remember when things were quieter. 

He saw that Nile had taken her phone out and was looking at it. A glass of water sitting next to her. A look of melancholy was on her face, as her fingers swiped left on the screen. Joe observed for a moment, letting her be alone before he made his presence known. Sometimes Nile got like that. The life of an immortal was still new to her, the remnants of her past still fresh wounds. 

After a minute, Joe cleared his throat to let her know of his presence as he walked over and sat down next to her. Nile glanced up, the light from the screen illuminating her face the way a lantern never could. She gave a small smile to him, which he returned easily. 

“Looking at your family again?” he asked in a soft voice. 

She let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Yeah.” 

Joe remained silent. Nile tilted the phone towards him so he could see. A photo of a woman who shared Nile’s bright smile looked back at him, and a young man who pretended to be annoyed, but Joe could see the love in his eyes. Over the past months, Nile had kept her family close to her chest. Protecting them from prying eyes. She started to scroll through other photos of them, of other people who joined their little family of three. A photo of a young Nile, perhaps seven or eight years old, in the arms of a man. She was in mid-laugh, as the man held her upside down while grinning widely. Joe figured that was her father. And her brother and mother. 

“You have a beautiful family,” he said. He gently reached out and put his hand over hers, rubbing his thumb back and forth slowly. 

“I miss them,” she admitted. 

“I have no doubt you do,” Joe replied. “And it is completely normal to miss them.” 

A tear slipped from Nile’s eye, slowly tracking down her cheek and to the table. She sniffed and hastily rubbed a hand over it to scrub it away. Joe gently squeezed her hand in empathy. 

“I showed Andy back in the cave in France,” she said. “She told me she couldn’t remember her mother or her sisters.” 

Joe nodded along. He had been told about Andy’s sisters and family. Though it was only snapshots. Like Nile, she kept her life before becoming immortal very close to her heart. Protecting it from the world. Nile looked up at him, her eyes glistening. 

“Did you have a family?” she wondered. 

Joe pursed his lips, looking right into Nile’s eyes. He gave her a small smile and a small pat. “Of course. Like every human who ever walked the earth, I had a family. Though I was lucky they loved me as much as yours did.” 

Flashes of his family go through his mind. The people he hadn’t thought of in years. The grin of a sister, the laughter of a brother. The familiar pat on the shoulder from a father who boasted to his friends about him, the warm embraces of his mother. He could still remember the smell of her perfume that she liked to wear. A scent that was so distinct he could never dream of replicating it. 

“Can you tell me about them?” Nile asked, breaking him of his thoughts. 

Joe blinked slowly. “Of course, habibti.” 

“I had a father, Ibrahim was his name, a merchantman. He wasn’t around very often, always traveling to places to do his job. But when he returned from those ventures, he told the most wonderful stories. He would sit me and my siblings down and tell us tales about what he saw in cities across the Maghreb and the Mediterranean. Though I don’t know how much of them were true, he was mesmerizing when he spoke. He could get anyone to listen to him, which is why he was such a successful merchant.” 

He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the words of stories centuries past. The voice of his father a faded whisper, but he could recall the way he spoke washing over him. It seemed as if his father had been the character in a fairy tale, going off on high adventures in faraway places. If only he could hear the stories Joe could tell now. How exciting his life had been in the nine hundred odd years he’d been living. 

“My mother was named Aaminah, and she was a real saint. She was somehow able to wrangle four children and keep us in line. She was known for always humming songs as she worked to keep us safe and afloat. She worked harder than any person I have ever met. And she gave the best hugs, and she always knew when you needed them. And she always smelt of roses.” 

Joe felt a small smile across his face, remembering the warm embraces he received throughout his life prior to immortality. How she could always see when he was in need of comfort, without him even having to speak. How she would whisper soothing words while running her fingers through his hair. Her melodic voice soothing as she sang him and his siblings to sleep. Her presence was a gentle and welcoming one. His mother was the one who taught him kindness. 

“And then there were my siblings. I was the third of four, but the first boy. My two older sisters were Maryam and Aisha. They loved to coddle me growing up, playing me like a doll until I was old enough to fight back. Aisha and I were especially close, as we were just two years apart. We would sneak away together as children, going to the ports to watch the merchants and the ships from all over dock. We would dress as each other to trick others for fun because we looked so much alike when we were young. She was so intelligent, and she was my first teacher and I loved her more than anyone in the entire world. Maryam was gone most of my childhood, as she was eight years older than me, and married by the time I was eight. 

When I was old enough my father taught me the way of the family business. How to be a merchant. He took me with him on his ventures, showing me how to account logs and keep track of numbers and shipments. And I was very good at it. Numbers have always come easy to me. I learned how to charm and haggle from him. My younger brother, Musa was born when I was eleven, so I never knew him too well.” 

Joe could recall the face of Aisha. His best friend, and best companion. Her bright brown eyes that were always so full of mischief and her sharp tongue that always had a smart answer ready. He could see a flash of Maryam’s reserved smile, and eye-roll at her siblings. The way Musa would follow Joe everywhere, mimicking his moves. But he could not recall what their voices were like. He could not remember the face of Musa, or even Maryam, which still stung after so long. 

Nile chuckled, a small closed-lipped smile on her face. “The more things change, the more they stay the same. At least sibling relationships endure the test of time.” 

Joe smiled and nodded in agreement. “Cheers to that. You know, you remind me a lot of Aisha. You got the same spark she had.” 

“That’s very nice of you to say. I’m honored.” And he knew Nile meant it. “Did any of the others have a family?” 

Joe hummed, and he stole the glass of water from Nile to take a sip. “Yes. You, unfortunately, know of Booker’s tragedy.” 

Nile agreed. “What about Nicky?” 

Joe grimaced a little. And then he sighed and rubbed a hand over his beard. “That is more of his story to tell; which if you manage to wine and dine him properly, you will probably get your answers.” 

They shared a laugh. “Genoans do like their wine,” Nile joked. 

“Oh yes, they do. The way to Nicky’s heart I have discovered over the years is to just give him a proper meal. And a good wine pairing.” 

“But I will say this, he did have a twin brother,” Joe smiled at the thought of Nile’s face when he told her. “A brother named Romeo.” 

Nile choked on air for a moment, her eyes wide. “Romeo? Nicky had a twin brother named  _ Romeo _ ? People actually name their children that?” 

Joe shrugged, and he enjoyed that reaction from Nile. It had almost been as good as the one Booker had when he first shared that tidbit of information. 

“Well in his parents’ defense, they did name their child over five hundred years before Shakespeare and the modern world made a joke of it,” Joe defended. “So do not blame them.” 

“That’s too good, honestly,” she said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. 

They continued to laugh over poor Nicky’s twin unfortunate namesake for a few more minutes. After, Nile got quiet again, a look of deep thought on her face. 

“Does it ever get easier?” she asked. “Remembering your family?” 

Joe thought hard on the question. Deliberated how he could go about answering it. He chewed the inside of his cheek as he stared at the small lantern sitting in the middle of the table. Its small flame flickering. 

“They say time heals all wounds. But when you have as much time as we do, it feels as if you just patch it up and deal with the dull ache you get every once in a while. So, I won’t say it gets easier, because that would be a lie.” 

He blinked slowly and looked at Nile, who was listening intently. “There are some days that I miss Aisha so much it feels like it hasn’t been over nine hundred years since I last saw her. I will miss our late night chats and debates together, or trying to sneak food from under our mama’s nose. And I will miss my father and his stories, and my mama and her hugs. And I mourn for the time I never got to have with Maryam and Musa.”

Joe reached out and put his palm up, allowing Nile to grab it in solidarity. “You will always miss them. Some days the ache will hurt more than others. But we just have to keep moving forward. And I know I will be okay because I have a new family that has helped me with this part of my life. We help each other shoulder this awesome burden and power we have been given. I am grateful to have Nicky as the other half of my soul, and I am grateful to have you and Andy as my sisters, and...even Booker as my brother.” 

“Will you ever forgive him?” Nile hesitated. 

“As I said, time heals all wounds right? It may take a while, a long, long while, but Booker is my brother in this life. And we cannot abandon each other forever.” 

He then also nodded towards the phone. The screen had gone black, and Joe softly touched it to illuminate it again. The familiar photo of her, her mother, and brother. 

“Alex right? Your brother’s name?” he asked. 

Nile nodded. “Yeah.” 

“A strong name, for a strong man.” 

Nile let out a breathy chuckle. “Andy said I came from a family of warriors.” 

“And she’s correct. You do. You are strong, Nile. Stronger than most, and that is an admirable quality. We all see your strength and your will, and we all know you’ll be a great leader of the team when we need you to be.” 

“Thanks,” she muttered with a grateful smile. 

“And it’s great that you have memories you can always keep with you. Early in this life, I drew photos of my family so I would not forget their faces. They’re kept in safe houses all over, just to remind me. It is a blessing that you can always have them with you. It is what helps keep us grounded; helps to remind us that we are still human.” 

He gave one last squeeze of her hand before standing up. He heard the gravel crunching underneath tires from outside the cabin. “Andy and Nicky are home. It is best we help them bring in the stuff they bought.” 

Nile nodded and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. “Thank you, Joe.” 

Joe wrapped an arm around Nile’s shoulders and brought her in for a side hug, which she happily fell into. 

“Of course, habibti. Anytime.” 

**Author's Note:**

> There you have it! I don't even know if it's right to put Nicky's brother's name as Romeo as he is Genoese and like...Italy was just a bunch of independent city-states/republics at the time of 1069, but I thought it would be really funny so...bear with me lmao 
> 
> I really just wanted to talk about families and have Joe and Nile have a soft heart to heart together. Thanks for reading! Drop some comments and kudos below! :)


End file.
